Glass-ceramic coated Mg-Ca alloys for biomedical implant applications

• Coated biodegradable Mg-Ca alloys for bone implant applications are reported.
• Glass-ceramic RKKP was used as coating material.
• Pulsed Laser deposition method was applied for coatings preparation.
• Physico-chemical characteristics of deposited coatings are reported.

Biodegradable metals and alloys are promising candidates for biomedical bone implant applications. However, due to the high rate of their biodegradation in human body environment, they should be coated with less reactive materials, such, for example, as bioactive glasses or glass-ceramics. Fort this scope, RKKP composition glass-ceramic coatings have been deposited on Mg-Ca(1.4 wt%) alloy substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition method, and their properties have been characterized by a number of techniques. The prepared coatings consist of hydroxyapatite and wollastonite phases, having composition close to that of the bulk target material used for depositions. The 100 μm thick films are characterized by dense, compact and rough morphology. They are composed of a glassy matrix with various size (from micro- to nano-) granular inclusions. The average surface roughness is about 295 ± 30 nm due to the contribution of micrometric aggregates, while the roughness of the fine-texture particulates is approximately 47 ± 4 nm. The results of the electrochemical corrosion evaluation tests evidence that the RKKP coating improves the corrosion resistance of the Mg-Ca (1.4 wt%) alloy in Simulated Body Fluid.

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